CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
March 2006
Implementation Investments
Delcam's CADCAM Software Gives Italeri High Accuracy On A Small Scale
Italian modelmaking company Italeri works in a world of small-scale designs where it needs accuracy in the details that only the right combination of craftsmanship and Delcam's CADCAM technology can give. The company has progressively shifted its focus from the toy market to the high-quality modelmaking industry, with most of its models produced for the international market.
In-depth research forms the basis for the development of every new Italeri model. "Anyone who buys our products is generally a fan of a certain period of time or a particular subject. They know every detail of that type of uniform, that aeroplane, or the buildings that went up in that particular century," said Roberto Guidetti, the CAD/CAM Manager at Italeri. "This is why we bring in experts and sculptors who, especially in the case of characters, know how to combine historical accuracy with a dynamic anatomical position."
The development of new models is backed up by the use of Delcam's CADCAM programs, in particular the PowerSHAPE CAD modeller, which is used mainly to design geometric parts, but also to check components that have movements if there is any risk of interference with the other sections of the model.
"For example, when we designed the block-off plate for the chassis on an armoured car, the job of creating the part linking the transmission shaft proved to be anything but simple," said Mr. Guidetti. "By using PowerSHAPE, the entire development process took just a day and a half, a much shorter time than the traditional process."
The CAD designers at Italeri are flanked by a number of extremely skilled modelmakers. "The job of creating characters is entrusted entirely to model-makers because, as well as their historical knowledge, this process still needs manual work that cannot be replaced by technology," explained Mr. Guidetti.
However, Italeri has added reverse engineering systems, which, combined with the Delcam software, enable the company to scan the models and work from the digital data. "By changing over from the pantograph to reverse engineering, the operator can intervene directly to remove any inaccuracies that may crop up or to make any changes to the model, so speeding up the entire process," claimed Mr. Guidetti. The company has also replaced the warehouse of physical models with a database of CAD models.
"When we decided to change over from our previous CAD software to Delcam's Power Solution," Mr. Guidetti remembered, "there were the usual concerns within the company that arise when having to adapt to a new standard: time spent on training, the need to get back into a routine, possible communication difficulties with our other systems. However, as soon as we got PowerSHAPE, without even having attended any training courses, we designed a new version of the 5 cm PAK38 cannon entirely on the software, in a much shorter period of time and without running into any difficulties."
"Another advantage lies in the fact that, operating in a completely integrated environment, we can change over easily from the CAD to the CAM, or rather from PowerSHAPE to the PowerMILL CAM system," added Mr. Guidetti. "This helps with large-scale items, such as lorries or aeroplanes, that can contain as many as 300 parts and so need moulds that are extremely complex."
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